Holocaust Memorial Foundation appoints three new board members

Three senior figures from the worlds of finance and academia have been appointed to the foundation hoping to push through a proposed Holocaust Memorial alongside the Houses of Parliament in London.

Sir Jon Cunliffe, deputy governor of the Bank of England, was appointed by Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick MP, alongside Islamic Studies professor Mona Siddiqui and Imperial War Museum chair Matthew Westerman.

Lawyers acting for residents as well as heritage and environmental groups are challenging the Government’s decision to go ahead with the £100 million memorial and learning centre in a Royal Park beside the Thames River.

Westminster Council had been set to rule against the planning application before Jenrick’s ministry said the decision would instead be taken by central government.

The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation is pushing for the memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens next to Parliament, and its co-chairs are former Conservative minister Lord (Eric) Pickles and former Labour minister Ed Balls.

Of the new appointments, Jenrick said: “I am delighted to welcome such an accomplished group of members to the board. They will bring unique professional perspectives to the foundation as we move forward with the memorial.”

Pickles said the new appointments “will strengthen the foundation,” adding: “We look forward to them bringing their knowledge, experience and expertise to the table.”

Westerman, who chairs the IWM’s board of trustees, said he was “confident that the complementary narratives presented by the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre and IWM’s upcoming new Second World War and The Holocaust Galleries will help more people than ever to understand the impact of this terrible period.”